Swiss iGaming Blacklist Exceeds 3,500 In Year Of Enforcement

Switzerland’s Federal Gaming Board (ESBK) has expanded its blacklist of unauthorised online gambling websites to 3,567 domains, continuing its enforcement efforts against offshore operators targeting Swiss consumers.

The latest update, published on 25 August, follows a new review of websites considered to be offering or promoting online casino games in Switzerland without federal approval.

Access to the listed domains has been blocked under Articles 86 onwards of the Federal Gambling Act and Articles 88 onwards of the Gambling Ordinance. The updated blacklist is formally announced through a general ruling published in the Swiss Federal Gazette.

Swiss internet service providers are required to implement DNS blocks to prevent customers from accessing the identified websites. Users attempting to visit a blacklisted domain from Switzerland should instead be redirected to a page explaining that the service is unauthorised.

The ESBK stated:

“Access to the gambling sites listed below in alphanumeric order has been blocked in accordance with Article 86 et seq. of the Federal Act on Gambling and Article 88 et seq. of the Gambling Ordinance.”

Swiss players do not commit a criminal offence by accessing an unlicensed gambling website. However, the ESBK warns that consumers do so at their own risk and without the protections, safeguards and legal guarantees available through federally approved operators.

ESBK And Gespa Divide Responsibilities

The ESBK oversees Switzerland’s land-based and online casino sector, including casino taxation and efforts to combat illegal casino gambling. The authority operates independently while being administratively attached to the Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP).

Enforcement is coordinated with Gespa, Switzerland’s intercantonal gambling supervisory authority, which oversees lotteries, sports betting and large-scale skill games.

The two authorities have separate legal mandates to identify and publish domains offering unlicensed gambling services. The ESBK primarily deals with illegal casino products, while Gespa maintains its own blacklist covering unauthorised betting, lottery and other regulated gambling services.

Gespa has said that foreign operators can use offshore headquarters to avoid Swiss supervision and taxation, as well as requirements relating to fraud, money laundering and problem gambling.

Swiss internet providers are required to apply DNS restrictions to domains listed by either regulator.

The latest update means the ESBK has added more than 1,000 domains to its blacklist during 2026, highlighting the scale of offshore competition facing Switzerland’s regulated market.

Regulated Market Reaches Ten Online Casinos

The enforcement update follows the ESBK’s approval of Casino Locarno as Switzerland’s tenth online casino operator.

The authorisation allows Casino Locarno to offer its CasiNeo.ch platform and approved games portfolio under the Federal Gambling Act, which established Switzerland’s regulated online casino market in 2019.

Online casino licences remain restricted to existing land-based concessionaires. Operators must first obtain an extension of their casino concession from the Federal Council before securing ESBK approval for their online platform and individual games.

Casino Locarno was founded in 2002 and acquired by the Stadtcasino Baden Group in 2022. It joins a regulated market initially led by Casino Baden, which became the first Swiss casino to launch an online operation following the market’s opening.

The ESBK also oversees requirements covering product compliance, player identification and age verification. Licensed operators must comply with Switzerland’s player protection and anti-money laundering requirements and participate in the country’s exclusion system.

Switzerland Continues Enforcement Approach

Federal and cantonal authorities have shown no immediate plans to overhaul the Gambling Act or remove the restriction limiting online casino licences to existing land-based concessionaires.

Instead, Switzerland continues to rely on domain blocking, regulatory enforcement and public awareness measures to direct players towards licensed operators.

However, the expansion of the blacklist to 3,567 domains raises questions over whether access restrictions alone can effectively limit the offshore market.

The issue could receive further attention as neighbouring Germany and Austria review their respective gambling frameworks and channelisation measures.